Union City School Reaches Deal in Harassment Suit

A Union City, Calif., school district has tentatively agreed to pay $725,000 to settle a lawsuit by African American students who said school officials failed to protect them from racial harassment and violence.

An attorney for the 12 students and their families announced the settlement with the New Haven Unified School District.

School officials say the deal — made on the advice of their insurance company — has not yet been finalized. They have not acknowledged any wrongdoing.

The suit claimed that the district ignored complaints that members of a mostly Latino gang were coming onto campuses and attacking black students. It cited the 2007 death of Vernon Eddins, who was shot to death on the steps of a middle school.

Police have described his attackers as young Latino men. No arrests have been made.